New regulation on ceramics postponed

On September 3, 2013 the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health & Consumers’ (DG SANCO) held a meeting with the Stakeholder Group on Food Contact Materials. Meeting participants were representatives of the EU Member States, industry trade associations and the public interest group the Food Packaging Forum. During the meeting the Ceramics Regulation, amendments to the Plastics Regulation EC 10/2011, and guidelines for information in the supply chain were discussed, amongst other topics .

The Commission reported that discussions concerning the new Ceramics Regulation will be postponed until mid-2014. The reason for this delay is the occurrence of practical testing issues that are currently being resolved. The new Ceramics Regulation draft foresees a significant reduction for lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in ceramic food contact materials, but the exact levels are yet to be agreed on. Currently, it is unclear if the new limits would apply to glass and possibly enamels as well.

The discussed amendment of the Plastics Regulation EC 10/2011 clarifies the original text by for example adding a detailed definition of rubber and making some basic editorial changes. A separate amendment is planned for new substances to be added to the positive list of monomers and additives.

A large part of the discussion was dedicated to guidance for information dissemination in the food contact material supply chain (including the Declaration of Compliance, DoC). DG SANCO previously sent out a questionnaire to all stakeholders with the purpose of investigating stakeholders’ understanding of who are obligated issuers and recipients of DoCs. As clarified in the meeting, the DoC is intended as information for the next business operator in the supply chain; it is not intended as official documentation for the enforcement authorities. During the meeting, the findings from this survey were presented and discussed, with some issues still requiring further clarification at a later stage.

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